nospamaccepted

I've been a fan of Mae's since first seeing them on Baroness Von Sketch Show occasionally. On a recent road trip my wife and I got a lot of enjoyment when we listened to the Don't Ask Tig episode that featured Mae, and who didn't enjoy what they brought to the second season of The Flight attendant?

This stand-however, didn't work for me. My score of 5/10 is solely for Mae, and I feel like this special was deeply hampered by poor direction.

There were multiple moments that could have been tightened-up with some editorial guidance. I wasn't bothered, as some other reviewers were, by "stories within stories" tangents, because I've seen plenty of it in stand-up and as long as it isn't abused (as it wasn't here), it actually helps my enjoyment. It's part misdirection, part timing.

I'm not sure why Mae or Netflix chose Abbi Jacobson (Broad City) to direct this. I mentioned Tig Notaro earlier, someone who actually has experience directing a stand-up special, and a similar person (if not Tig, exactly) might have brought a more editorial approach.

I also feel like Netflix has a problem with wanting to capitalize on talents who are "hot", without evaluating whether someone has enough material or a tight enough set to bring it home in a special. I don't remember the last Netflix stand-up that I actually enjoyed. Thinking more widely, I wondered when I last enjoyed a stand-up and it was 2022's Rothaniel from Jerrod Carmichael. I appreciate that Mae and Jerrod have very different vibes, and I'm not saying Mae needs to be more subdued or that Abbi should have copied the "intimate" feel that Rothaniel had, but maybe there's some space somewhere in-between where this same act, slightly pared down, doesn't fall so flat.

Oh, and the opening/closing segments didn't really add anything to the special for me. They were just there.

As a Match Game fan, this version of the show is pretty sad to see. Too few "originals" as celebrity panelists, and having one of your "celebs" being the host of the other half of the show doesn't help the feeling that this is Match Game in name only.

I think that if you'd kept the hosts separate and had a "classic" panel for Match Game (including at least Fanny and another, like Brett and/or Charles) and added celebs promoting current shows during the Hollywood Squares segment.

Currently Buzzr airs three hours of Match Game (between '74-'79) near noon and primetime, yet only one hour of this at 3am. I think that tells you something about how this show fares against the rest of Match Game's various incarnations.

Fan of Hollywood Squares or Match Game? You'd think it would be funnier, but when it all comes down to Question - Joke - Agree/Disagree, that's not much.

Also, this is a paid program? Byron Allen produces this show and then pays to broadcast it? Is he raking in all the ad revenue? I'm kind of fascinated.